Essendon ready for 'fairly brutal' clash with arch-rivals Collingwood

Friday night's clash between arch-rivals Essendon and Collingwood will be "fairly brutal", Bombers coach John Worsfold says, as the Dons prepare for a finals campaign in which they hope to end a long drought of finals wins.

Essendon turned around a recent slump in form and locked in a finals berth when they beat Fremantle by 32 points on Saturday following their 104-point loss to Western Bulldogs in round 21.

But while their September fate is no longer on the line, Friday night's blockbuster at the MCG could set the tone for Essendon's finals campaign.

"This game's fairly brutal," Worsfold said on Tuesday. "We've got to be well prepared and really focused on playing our best footy.

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"We've got so much improvement we need to gain, and this week is an opportunity to take on a top opposition."

A major focus for the Dons this week will be around player selection. Worsfold said deciding what was best for the player and the team, not only this week but in the following weeks, had "taken up a lot of time".

Sitting out key players, such as midfielder Dyson Heppell, could be an option but the ultimate goal, Worsfold said, was on curating a team that played well together.

"My focus is on how we play the footy we want to play this week and what we're building to become the team that can keep climbing the ladder and be a real threat in finals footy," he said.

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Star ruckman Tom Bellchambers (calf) joined his teammates at training on Tuesday morning and could be available for the Friday night clash, or line up in the VFL.

Worsfold said Bellchambers had been a "key part of our best footy" over the past few years and the team would love to have him back this season.